A Cocktail Away From Embarrassment
by LokiLiesmithLordofTime
Summary: Elin Hunter goes along grudgingly to a posh party for the success of 'Avengers Assemble'. What she doesn't know is that a friendship with a certain actor will lead to a mischievous god taking advantage of her shy nature... Please R&R. Rated M for later chapters


Chapter One: Panic Time Makeover

I wasn't used to being invited to dinner parties- especially not ones filled with oodles of famous actors being paid more for work on one job than I would ever earn in a lifetime. I hadn't been personally invited, either. It was all courtesy of my best friend Aditi Kayeeda, who had had the privilege to apply the make-up to some of the stars of the recent Marvel films (including Jeremy Renner and her personal favourite Robert Downey Jr). She had been asked to attend a posh party as celebration for the success of 'Avengers Assemble' in the heart of London's West End, and she wanted me to keep her company because she was afraid she would be attacked on the way down there (as if!).

Initially, I couldn't lie about the fact that the thought of being somewhere so sophisticated frightened me; I was born and bred in South Woodford, East London, and my accent for starters would ban me from even the most remotely esteemed restaurants. Secondly, my manners, though polite enough for most, would not be suitable for the gathering of such prestigious actors and filming crews. There was also the problem about the way I dressed and what I looked like, because I lived in baggy jeans and monstrously oversized t-shirts to hide my (what I considered to be) unsightly body from the world. My messy curly brown-dyed-pink hair spent most of its life in a rushed ponytail that hung limply over my shoulder, and my stupidly pale skin shone with the excess grease that still terrorised me even though I had left my teenage years three quarters of a decade before. In fact, the only thing that I remotely liked about myself is my teeth (which are near to perfectly straight and normal sized, plus a few chips in the front two where I had got into a fight at twelve), but that was it. I hated my ridiculously small nose, and I hated how spectacularly dull my blue-grey eyes are. So as you can see, there are numerous reasons as to why I should not be allowed into this party, but the ever-glamorous Aditi insisted; who was I to turn her down?

Slouched on the sofa, I was absent-mindedly watching the rugby but not really paying it full attention. My mind was still reeling with the furiously bubbling nerves in the pit of my stomach since Aditi had texted me to announce that she was arriving at six to 'glam me up'. Eugh…that had really filled me with dread. When the whistle blew for full time after a conversion on the telly, I chanced a quick glance at the clock sitting alone on the small bedside cabinet, groaning. It was only quarter-past five. What on Earth was I supposed to do until she turned up?

"Maybe time for a bath then," I said aloud to no-one in particular, switching the television off and leaving my tiny living-room-come-bedroom for the bathroom. Turning on the taps, I allowed the water to run freely for a while whilst I poured in a little bubble bath and tested the temperature. It was just as warm as I liked it. I then switched off the taps, stripping down to nothing before stepping into the bath and sinking straight into its pleasantly hot depths. It was rare that I had time for a relaxing bath these days, considering the madness in the office (I worked as a Junior Solicitor, not through choice, and yet I still got mounds of paperwork!). Closing my eyes, I plunged my head under the water for what must have been all but a moment and popped back up again to find the curious face of a young Indian woman staring right at me and I shrieked.

"Diti, don't you dare do that to me again!" I hissed at her, hand over my heart as I tried to get over the initial shock of her being there. It wasn't unusual for her to let herself into my flat as she had a key, but I wasn't expecting her so soon.

"El, babe, I didn't mean to scare you! It's just that I knocked and there was no answer, so I let myself in and heard a bit of a splash…and guessed that you were in here," she smiled apologetically, flipping her lusciously dark hair from her shoulder in a way that made me think that she wasn't _truly_ sorry.

"Mmph," I grumbled, rolling my eyes. "Well, I was planning to have a bath before you came, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen now,"

"Oh no, by all means continue your bath time fun! In fact, if you want, I could wash your hair for you!"

Before I could protest, Aditi had dropped her bags and was instantly massaging shampoo into my tangled locks, and all I could do was cover myself with bubbles and hope that she couldn't see anything. I was very uncomfortable with showing off my body, even if Aditi was more like family. It was a wonder that I had even had boyfriends…

"We're gonna have to do something about your hair, El. It's mad! Not to mention fading…" she grunted, trying hard not to yank my hair as she teased the knots out of it with her fingers. I whined a little when she almost pulled apart a particularly stubborn mass, but sighed with relief when she had finally finished.

"Close your eyes then, or I won't be able to wash the soap out!"

It was a little while later before I was all clean and standing in my living room/bedroom with nothing but a towel wrapped tightly around my body whilst Aditi emptied the entire contents of her various bags of clothes to see if she could find a dress suitable for my build, my skin tone and my hair. I was surprised that she was even trying because I wasn't exactly the easiest person to find nice clothes for, but I had to commend her for her efforts as she literally pulled out millions of different colours and styles of dress just to accommodate for me.

"Hmm…well, the only colour I can think of that will go with your hair is black. Turquoise is a big no-no; green'll make you look like that woman's wedding in Nanny McPhee, red will clash…yeah, black it is," she muttered to herself, holding up a few dresses and putting them next to me to assess their compatibility. I pulled a face when she turned around. The little black dress idea didn't make me feel entirely comfortable, as I was far from sexy enough to pull it off, but if Aditi thought I could do it then I probably could. After all, Aditi was like the Goddess of Fashion on Earth. I often wondered why she wasn't in the costume department rather than make-up, but she also deeply enjoyed plastering actor's faces with the stuff and being able to talk to them (damned socialite!), so I guess that was what kept her in that job.

"Oi El, stop pouting and try this on!" I heard Aditi grunt at me as she thrust a dress into my face, almost knocking the towel clean off my body. I gave her a grumpy look before staring at the strapless dress for a brief moment. It was quite nice, actually. The silky black material gathered a little at each cup, and a thin line of material was around the base of what would be my chest to emphasise my cleavage (typical Aditi, always trying to get me going with someone). Underneath the soft material of the exterior was a little mesh underskirt that fluffed out the bottom of the dress, but in a tasteful way, and it would come down to just above my knees. Simple, yet elegant.

"Oh, and take these too. We want you looking your best, don't we?" She cooed. Suddenly some underwear flew through the air and landed awkwardly on my outstretched left arm. This time I was less than happy.

"Diti, I draw the line here…I can't wear these!" I whimpered, dropping the black dress and waving around the ridiculous pieces of cloth she had handed me. The bra was black and lacy, but it was an obvious bust enhancer that I would never wear in a million years. And as for the knickers, well…they were just a flimsy bit of almost nothing. "You can do whatever else you want to do to me, but I will wear _my_ underwear because it's _comfortable_, not sexy!"

She huffed at that, but eventually gave in. And hence began the makeover of hell.


End file.
